(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multipurpose screen device, which can be used as a curtain, a blind, a window screen, a partition or the like.
(2) Description of Related Art
As a device for realizing a smooth and stable opening and closing operation to be applied as shielding or dimming means such as a curtain or blind, or a window screen or a partition, the Applicant has provided the screen device (Japanese Patent No. 2,749,473 and Japanese Patent No. 3,403,652).
In the screen device described in Japanese Patent No. 2,749,473, a foldable and extensible screen member having a plurality of pleat portions is supported between a slide bar enabled to slide and move in opening and closing directions, and one frame portion arranged to confront the slide bar. Two intersecting wire members, which extend through the screen member in opening and closing directions and which are folded back inside of the slide bar by build-in direction changing means, are tensed between a pair of frame portions arranged to confront each other. The smooth and stable opening and closing operations are realized by those two wire members.
In the screen device described in Japanese Patent No. 3,403,652, a screen is so attached to a pair of screen-mounting frame portions which are arranged to confront each other and at least one of which can move slidably, as can shrink and extend freely between the two screen-mounting frame portions, and a pair of slide guide frame portions are arranged near the two end portions of the screen not on the mounting side of the screen-mounting frame portions. The slide guide frame portions are so formed that a rigid unit having a pair of sidewall portions arranged to confront each other and a bridge portion bridging the sidewall portions is turnably connected between the two adjoining rigid units. The slide guide frame portions are made bendable and have at least one end made free so that they can be housed in and extracted from the screen-mounting frame portions. As the slidably movable screen-mounting frame portions slide and move, the portions of the slide guide frame portions extracted from the screen-mounting frame portions keep the linearity. These slide guide frame portions realize the smooth and stable opening and closing operations thereby to eliminate the mounting restrictions.
The aforementioned screen device is widely used for its excellent opening and closing operation and workability. However, the size of the opening, in which the screen device is disposed, is divided into several standardized kinds. If the screen device is to be manufactured to match all the kinds, the screen device is divided into so many kinds as to raise problems in the aspects of the stable supply or stock control of products. In most cases, moreover, the size of the opening is made slightly different according to the constructing manner of the building. Even if standardized, the opening size has to be adjusted at the working site. Especially, the height of the screen device of the horizontal opening type has to be adjusted.
Generally, the screen device is shipped by considering the quality stability, after its major portions were assembled at the manufacturing factory. At the time of adjusting at the working site, therefore, the assembly is once broken and remade at the slide bar, the screen-mounting frame portions and the screen, and thus the construction of the device is complicated.